INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
AHMEDABAD: The SIT constituted to penetrate the Morbi bridge collapse that killed 135 people on October 30 in 2015 has actually sent a
damning report to Gujarat high court, highlighting administrative and technical lapses and omissions on behalf of numerous stakeholders that
led to no restorative action being taken to enhance the condition of the century-old structure.The report said 22 out of 49 cable
televisions that suspended the Morbi bridge were currently corroded, showing that those wires may have already been broken prior to the
The staying 27 wires broke just recently, it stated.Morbi bridge tragedy: Many BJP councillors say they were not aware about deal with
OrevaThe SIT said Morbi towns chief officer Sandipsinh Zala must not have signed the upkeep arrangement with Oreva Group-- maker of Ajanta
wall clocks-- without acquiring prior approval from the civic bodys general board
The arrangement was signed on March 8, 2022, and the agreement was for a period of 15 years.The SIT also explained lapses by the towns
president, vice-president and the chairman of the executive committee
They ought to have taken up the matter of the contract in the ensuing general body conference for approval, it said.The team stated that
when the municipality did not authorize the companys proposal to increase user charge and requested for the bridges belongings back, the
company failed to hand over the bridge to authority concerned
No corrective action could be taken by either celebration to improve the condition of the bridge, it said.The report also slammed the
company for mismanagement , stating there were no constraints on the number of individuals accessing the bridge at a given moment; no
limitation on ticket sale and insufficient security offered to avoid the general public from damaging the bridge.The SIT kept in mind that
Oreva contracted out the bridges repair to a non-competent firm, which brought it out without seeking advice from proficient technical
professionals or checking the main cable television and vertical suspenders.
